The season is on its last legs. And, for the first time in a while, Orlando Magic fans have a reason to be intrigued-- and it is not because of the Draft Lottery this year.
For the first time since 2020, the Magic will be back in the postseason. And it looks like for the first time since 2012 they will not be sneaking into the postseason.
A few months ago it looked like the Playoffs would just be a good experience for this young Magic team. Now it seems like they can make a run.
At the very least, it feels like the Magic are going to be starting a long playoff run. The whole journey to the postseason has been refreshing and exciting.
For them to make a run they are going to need their stars to play well. But every good playoff run has some role and or bench players step up to the moment. In all teams that make the Final or make it close, there are a few x-factor players who play a role perfectly and are there in the big moments.
In the Playoffs where things get gritty and physical, when offense slows down and defense steps up, there are a few ways to see players shine. Either players who can get a stop and provide more half-court defense or players who can shoot or get a bucket when the offense stagnates.
The playoffs are where some role players can make a name for themselves and even get themselves paid.
There are a few players who are in a position to have a huge impact in the playoffs and be the unsung hero of a possible Magic playoff run.
4 Playoff X-Factors for the Orlando Magic
Anthony Black
Anthony Black has the potential to be a huge contributor in just his first season with the Orlando Magic.
His 6-foot-7 frame with his athleticism makes him a defensive body the Magic can throw at opposing teams' star players and ball handlers to give them some new looks and let the main rotation players get some rest.
Black has rarely backed down from these moments and he has been a better-than-expected shooter at 38.6 percent, albeit on limited attempts.
With the Magic most likely ending up as somewhere between the 3- and 6-seed, they will probably have to play either Jalen Brunson, Donovan Mitchell or Tyrese Haliburton in the first round. Jalen Suggs, Markelle Fultz and Gary Harris will guard those players primarily. But in a seven-game series having a young and hungry Black out there could impact the defensive side of the ball and frustrate their opponents' guards.
His size and versatility on that end have proven valuable throughout the season. The Magic have leaned on him throughout the year in critical spots, including early in the season when Markelle Fultz was out with an injury.
Offensively, with Black's athleticism and length, he could get to the rim and if he is aggressive he can draw some fouls. Free throws and shots in the paint are even more important in the playoffs where every bucket matters.
Black can also hit the open three and if he is getting to the rim he might be able to suck in some defenders and create some open looks for his teammates.
The Magic have done well to limit Black's role and give him simple tasks throughout the season. But he is a potential defensive game changer and someone who can make defenses pay for ignoring him too much.
Whether Black would play in a playoff rotation is anybody's guess however.
He is currently out of the Magic's rotation and rookies are notoriously dificult to play in the Playoffs. There are still a lot of growing pains for him to go through and the Magic have seemingly had less patience for htem as the postseason race gets tighter.
But if Orlando turns to him in the Playoffs, he can contribute and flip a game on its head to give the Magic a chance.
Look for him to be a big part of Magic playoff runs in the coming years.
4 Playoff X-Factors for the Orlando Magic
Jonathan Isaac
Jonathan Isaac is the ultiamte X-factor for the Orlando Magic in their Playoff run this year. His defense is so dominant and game-changing that it is hard to get him off the floor. Only his injury concerns and stamina could keep him from playing starter-level minutes.
To be sure, everyone will know when Isaac is on the floor if he continues his regular season levels of play.
So far this season, he is averaging only 15.1 minutes per game. But he may be hitting his stride at the right time and be healthier than ever for the Magic's playoff run. He is an elite defender who will be able to space the floor, get stops and provide length for the Magic.
We have seen in recent years successful playoff teams that have a defensive difference maker who can start or come off the bench. We have seen this with Robert Williams during the Boston Celtics' NBA Finals run, with Bruce Brown from last year's championship-winning Denver Nuggets and with Torrey Craig from the Phoenix Suns' 2021 Finals run.
These players all disrupted the others teams offense when they were in the game and gave other teams stars fits.
None of them were as potentailly disruptive and game-changing as Isaac has been this season. Orlando has a 104.5 defensive rating and gets 1.2 blocks per game this season. He even has shown he can still hang with the league's best even after all his injuries.
This season he has held Giannis Antetokounmpo to 4-for-12 shooting, he held DeMar DeRozan and Victor Wembanyama to 3-for-8 shooting and Jaren Jackson to 1-for-5 shooting. Having someone who is a disrupter at Isaac's size and length will be crucial for the Magic in defensive battles throughout the playoffs.
His versatility is the biggest part of his defense. He is elite out on the perimeter and can lock down the paint on the ball and in help. With the likely first round matchups the Magic will have as mentioned before, he will be a key piece off the bench against the teams with length and physicality.
If the Orlando Magic draw the New York Knicks he will be a great body to throw at OG Anunoby and Julius Randle. If they draw the Cleveland Cavaliers, then he will be a perfect player to deal with the twin towers of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. And if they get the Indiana Pacers, then he will be a great help with Myles Turner and Pascal Siakim.
His defense will be the key piece of his contribution, but he can also make an impact on offense.
He can space the floor and his length allows him to be successful around the rim. On the season he is averaging 7.0 points per game on 52.3-percent shooting. That may not seem like anything to go home about, but if he can get into a rhythm come playoffs then his numbers will likely rise.
He shoots the three at 38.5 percent, which is above average, and he is shooting 71.4 percent from around the rim. These numbers are good and he is only getting better as the season progresses. In March he is averaging 10.7 points per game on 67.9 percent from the field and 62.5 percent from three.
He even showed his progression in the Orlando Magic's loss to the Sacramento Kings on Saturday. He had a season-high 25 points, seven rebounds and two blocks on 10-for-13 shooting and 3 for 4 from three in just 23 minutes.
This was his first 20-point performance of the season and his highest total since November when he scored 18 against the Chicago Bulls. He will probably not have many 25-point games (this was just the second in his career). But if he can improve and stay consistent, he will be a scary sight in the playoffs.
4 Playoff X-Factors for the Orlando Magic
Cole Anthony
Aside from getting stops and half-court offense, the next most important aspect of the Playoffs is depth and bench help.
When you sit your starters, will you have offense off the bench? If not, you are either going to experience a huge dip in production with the bench unit, or you will have to play your starters almost the whole game and tire them out quickly.
Many championship-level teams had one bench player who could carry the second unit -- whether it was the Golden State Warriors with Jordan Poole, the Boston Celtics with Malcolm Brogdon or Fred VanVleet with the Toronto Raptors.
Every team needs a flamethrower.
This should be no problem for 6th Man of the Year candidate Cole Anthony.
Anthony has had some difficulties off the bench this year, averaging a career-low 11.7 points per game in his fewest minutes. But Anthony is still vital because he can bring energy and score from all three levels off the bench.
The Magic will be in a great position to give their starters a break without worrying about a depleted offense. Anthony is very capable of big scoring outbursts and keeping pressure on the defense.
His numbers may not be the highest they have ever been, but he has carved out a role and he is contributing the most he ever has.
He has eight games of 20-plus points this year including a season high of 30. He also has put up three double-doubles this year.
Anthony has been a world-class athlete since high school. But he refined his touch, his moves and his counters this year when getting to the basket. He is shooting career-highs around the basket and from within 10 feet. He has gotten much stronger when going to the rim and has near perfected his short turnaround fade.
Unlike his drives, it is his three-point shooting that has been a little inconsistent this season. Nonetheless, he has still shown flashes of elite shooting and if he can get hot by playoffs then he will be an impossible guard.
He has 23 games with hitting multiple three-pointers, and in three of the six months of the season so far, he has shot better than 35 percent from three. So he has shown he can get his shot going for weeks at a time.
Besides scoring Anthony is also a slightly above-average defender, one of the best rebounding point guards in the league, and an elite playmaker when he wants to be.
His role this year has been mainly to be the source of offense off the bench, but he is capable of impacting the game in multiple ways.
Although his role in the playoffs will most likely be the same, he might have one of the most important roles on the whole team. Whether or not he can run the second unit and be a consistent source of offense off the bench in the playoffs will determine how far the Magic can go.
4 Playoff X-Factors for the Orlando Magic
Jalen Suggs
One of the most underrated and important roles to have in a playoff series is to be the third option. It might sound strange, but having a productive third option is the difference between making it to the Conference Finals and getting out in the first round.
When a team has time to specifically plan for one team and its players, it is a whole different game than during the regular season where you get the scouting report the day of the game. In a playoff series, the other team does the most it can to slow down and contain a team's first two options. It will be especially difficult for the Orlando Magic because their top two scorers have never played in a playoff series.
Normally when a star player is in their first playoff series, they struggle. They are not used to as much game planning just based around them. This is when having a reliable third option is extremely important.
They need a third player to step up and relieve that pressure and attract some added attention.
The third option normally sees the biggest stat boost when going to the playoffs while the first two options normally see a small decline in their production. Right now, Jalen Suggs is the third-leading scorer for the Magic, averaging 12.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and a team-leading 1.4 steals per game on 46.4 percent from the field and 39.8 percent from three.
Suggs finally carved out a role as the defensive hustle and energy player who dives for loose balls and puts it all out on the floor, much like a Marcus Smart or a Jrue Holiday.
Suggs is going to have to guard the other team's best ball handler, and he is going to have to pick up the slack offensively when Wagner and Banchero inevitably struggle in their first playoff run.
This should be no worry for the Magic as Suggs has a career-high in points per game and all efficiency aspects. Suggs has even found himself a lethal shooting stroke from three which some Magic fans thought would never happen.
Suggs has to be able to continue to hit open threes and be able to pump fake and drive the lane with a closing defender.
With most of the attention going to Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero, Jalen Suggs is going to see the most amount of open shots he has seen in his career. Suggs has to be able to hit shots and be ready late in the game specifically.
If he hits a couple of open looks defenses are going to adjust to that. So the question is not only going to be if he can make open shots and take it to the rim, but can he make the extra pass if a defender rotates his way, or if he does get an off-balance defender and gets to the rim and the defense collapses can he get it back to Banchero or Wagner, or can he find the open man?
He also has to preserve energy between carrying the offensive slack and possibly guarding an All-NBA player.
Suggs has shown this year he is ready to take on the responsibility on both sides of the floor. He has nine games with at least 20 points including a season high of 27, and he has 22 games with three or more three-pointers including a career-high of seven.
Defensively he held Donovan Mitchell to 8-for-19 shooting, Tyler Herro to 6-for-16 shooting, De'Aaron Fox to 5-for-14 shooting and Jamal Murray to 2-for-11 shooting.
Suggs is the X-Factor when it comes to the Magic's playoff run this year and he has the opportunity to make a name for himself and secure a big contract when the time comes.
Every contender needs a Suggs-type player. The Magic might have found their X-Factor player. Magic fans should be excited to see their team have a real chance of making a run and getting to see a preview of what will be for years to come.